GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #29 | Page 16

“ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL, I WANTED THE 79 SERIES CRUISER, BUDGET BE DAMNED” X, which is rated to tow 3000kg. Previously, I towed it with an old and grumpy 80 Series Land Cruiser rated to tow 2500kg. Both vehicles have a greater physical mass than the camper, along with decent wheelbase, and towing capacity ‘in reserve’. Each time I hitch up, I am therefore not pushing the vehicle to its limit. COMPROMISE: A DIRTY WORD? Here’s the thing: despite my experiments, I still haven’t worked out how to make money grow on trees. Therefore, my ultimate tow vehicle – a 79 Series Cruiser that my wife views as an agricultural, antiquated waste of money – will have to wait. In fact, all of the new 3500kg-rated 4WD wagons are out of my price range, and with three kids, one of whom is still in a booster seat, to consider, a dual cab ute isn’t practical. Besides which, given their typically-low GCMs, their 3500kg rating is somewhat artificial anyway. So, I had to forge a compromise: opt for the mid- size MU-X, with its lesser towing capacity and cargo space, which becomes further reduced when one of the third-row seats are erected for our eldest ‘miracle’. For my purposes, the MU-X has proved to be a decent compromise tow vehicle. 16 \